SPRINGVILLE (AP) — A Spanish Fork man was killed Monday after the car he was driving hit a cow on a rural road outside of Springville.
Quinn Batty, 21, was driving on U-77 when his car struck the cow, said Derek Jensen, Department of Public Safety spokesman.
Batty died on the way to the hospital, he said.
The accident occurred early in the morning while it was still dark and difficult to see the brown cow, Jensen said.
The cow had been hit about 10 minutes earlier by another car whose driver was not injured and drove away to call police, Jensen said.
It is unclear if the cow died after the first or second crash. Investigators think the cow might have still been standing when Batty's car hit it, Jensen said.
The owner of the cow has been notified, but it was unlikely charges would be filed against the owner, Jensen said.
A cattleman in northern Utah was charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment in 2004 after one of his steers wandered onto a road where the speed limit was 60 mph. A vehicle driven by a 40-year-old mother of six struck the steer. The woman died.
Prosecutors contend Darrell Kunzler demonstrated a 30-year pattern of failing to properly contain his livestock, despite repeated requests by law enforcement. His case is pending.